Disclaimer: I do not own The Lost Boys.

Thank you Nightcrawlerlover, Ghostwriter, My Mother's Worst Nightmare, and Freak Scene for your reviews!

Author's Notes:

1) I know I haven't updated in over a year. So to make up for making you all wait so long, I've made this a super-long chapter. This one is longer than the other two combined, in fact it's the longest chapter I've ever written. I wanted to add a lot more detail and put in David's past with Max as well as a more in depth version of the story with Greta.

2) I decided that there will be a fourth chapter. I still haven't decided yet if it will be from Marco or Paul's perspective. I'm still leaning towards Paul, but for a reason (I won't spoil it) I think it might be better to come from Marco. Since there stories will be so similiar, I'm only going to do one. I'm not going to do one from Dwayne's point-of-view because I really don't know how Dwayne would speak, especially in a situation like this. But maybe one day, if I really want to I'll do one from Dwayne, but I'm thinking of ending this at four chapters, but we'll see how that goes. Who knows, after writing this I'm somewhat inspired to do one from the slayers' POV.

3) WARNING: There are two rather violent fight scenes in this chapter. There are also a lot of dark thoughts and humor.

Without further delay, here is the story told from David's viewpoint!

Santa Carla belongs to us. We are the lost boys, a pack of vampires who once belonged to the mundane society of the mindless zombies known as human beings. It’s a funny thought that zombies are often classified in the same category with vampires as the undead, yet we’re the ones who have full control over our brains. We do what we want. When we want. And how we want. There’s no one to answer to, none of this morality garbage the human race are so connected with. They feed off the golden rule of how they should treat each other. It must give their pathetic lives purpose, make them feel better about themselves. If only they knew the truth about death. Perhaps they could if they knew how to escape their dying day.

That ridiculous way of life passed us when the leader of our group, Max, showed us our true potential. He came to me first. Max, a lonely man in search of a family found me, a lonely kid in search of something different. Me, David, a rebel to the death. And that’s where I was, laying out on death’s doorstep. The stupid reality of mortality hit me at an early age of nineteen. I was proud. I thought there was no way the disease could affect someone like me, someone with a strong body and a bad attitude. I was in no way weak, but that didn’t stop the virus from selecting me. It already claimed many and my turn was coming up soon.

I refused to believe my fate for so long. The news hit me like death it self. I was going to be dead before my thirtieth birthday. There was so much I wanted to do, so much of the world I wanted to conquer. But it seemed the world conquered me first. I was depressed for a year. I tried to find so many ways to escape, but I had to wake up and face the truth, there is no escape from death.

It was that night I walked into that store. I just wanted something to clear my mind for the night, to get my thoughts off my inevitable fate. I browsed through the selections of tapes, not really catching anything interesting. I must’ve looked my worst that night. The manager kept his eyes on me. It started to creep me out. I asked him if he had a staring problem and he replied with a laugh.

I was on my way out when he called me over.

“Is something troubling you, boy?” he asked in a kind manner.

“What’s it to you?” I asked spitting on the window.

The man rolled his eyes and pulled out a paper towel to wipe the mess away. He acted like it was no big deal, probably used to us ruffians vandalizing his property. After that he looked at me with eyes of pity.

“If there’s something wrong you can tell me,” he said.

I smacked my lips and headed out the door.

After that night that man’s face wouldn’t leave my head. Why was he being so nice to me? Me, a young punk with no future and near death. Someone who never thought about tomorrow. Or better yet, didn’t know if there would be a tomorrow. Still, something in his eyes enticed me. There was something strange about that guy, and not just his staring problem.

The next night I walked back in the store to find him stocking merchandise along the shelves. He’s a weird dresser, no sense of style. He looked like the relative you make jokes about behind their backs. Still he found some stupid reason to grin. In a forsaken town like this he kept smiling.

He must’ve realized I was there and turned to me with a smile. He stepped down off the ladder and offered me his hand as a sign of peace. I sneered and turned away with a laugh.

“At least you have a sense of humor, kid,” he said.

I turned to him and told him to go to Hell. He laughed heartily at that statement. When I asked him what was so funny about that he shook his head.

“What you say is impossible,” he told me then returned to the counter. Without making eye contact he asked, “Is there anything you need help finding? We got it all. Best selection in Santa Carla.”

“Why you so happy?” I asked him.

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?” he asked.

"Happy people like you bug me," I replied.

"And why is that?" he asked that smile not leaving his face.

“Stupid, happy people,” I spat. “You think you’re going to live forever or something.”

The manager smirked. I didn’t like it. It freaked me out, but I didn’t want him to know that.

“It’s death you fear then?” he asked with a shrug.

“Oh, and you don’t?” I asked back.

“If you know you won’t die then you have no reason to fear it, is that true?”

“You’re crazy,” I said turning from him.

“Well is it?” he asked.

I shook my head and left. As soon as I stepped outside everything went black.

When I woke up I sitting inside an office of some kind with a damp cloth on my forehead. I took a look around to find myself sitting in a round office chair just in front of a desk with papers scattered around and a phone at the edge. There was a shelf with more mess crowding inside and a filing cabinet beside that. There was no window and no light other than the lamp at the tip of the desk.

The store’s manager walked inside and asked me how I was feeling. I moaned not wanting to have to explain the situation to him, but he never asked. I didn’t want a stranger worrying about me. It’s not what I’m about. I can take care of myself no problem.

He handed me a styrofoam cup of cold water. I drank it and felt the cool liquid trickle all the way down my throat.

“What happened?” I demanded more than asked.

The manager laughed and replied, “You fainted. Good thing it didn’t happen somewhere out there. Who knows if anyone would’ve found you.”

“Not like it would matter,” I said.

“Something really does seem to be troubling you,” he said.

“Why do you care anyway?” I asked.

“You know, I don’t know,” he said putting one leg on the desk and halfway sitting down. “But I really am concerned about you.”

“Well don’t be!” I snapped. “I don’t need some lame old man looking after me.”

“Whatever you want,” he said raising his hands in defeat. “I won’t worry if you don’t want me to.”

“Good,” I said before finishing the rest of the water. I looked into the empty cup wondering if that was going to be last time I would ever drink the tasteless liquid. I looked up to find him staring at me again. “What?” I barked.

He shook his head.

“Why you keep staring at me?”

He sighed. “You just remind me a lot of my son.”

I thought, oh great, here comes the old man’s ramblings of his younger years.

“He looked a lot like you, even had that same confident, don’t-care attitude,” the manager laughed. His smile soon left his face leaving behind a look of pain and sorrow. An expression much like the one I had the day the doctor gave me the news.

“What happened to him?” I asked merely for curiosity’s sake.

“He died.” The man turned away from me and removed his glasses to wipe something away from his eyes. “He wasn’t paying attention and it happened so fast.”’

I figured he meant an automobile accident, it wasn’t until much later I discovered the truth about Larry’s scrape with a slayer. He was unfortunate and stupid to believe she wanted a promiscuous relationship him. Max wasn’t happy when I searched through his personal things, but I wanted to know. When I asked him why he never told me he said the memories were too hard to bear. Even after the many decades that passed he was unable to get rid of them. He was afraid the same thing would happen to one of us, meaning me, Dwayne, and Paul, he had yet to adopt Marco at the time. It was at that moment I saw him cry for the first time. And that night I apologized for the first time since I can’t remember, and actually meant it. I think it was that night we finally could trust each other.

It wasn’t long after our “meeting” that Max discovered how strong and brutal I could actually be. He offered me free food every night at the store as long as I would talk to him during the long, dull hours. He said it got rid of his loneliness, and it gave me something to look forward to. One night a group of robbers came in. He didn’t act scared when he was at gun point. He smiled and encouraged them to take their best shot. I was stunned at first, but I guessed it was just a tactic to confuse them, and it worked.

I stepped in front of the man pointing the gun and threatened for him to back off. Max tried to get me away, but I was no longer afraid of death. It was coming for me anyway, so why not go out in a more heroic way. I wasn’t afraid.

Through all the confusion we were able to take them down together. I was surprised at how strong someone of his age was. I guess by the way he stared at me after we broke them that he was just as surprised at my strength. But it took a lot of my strength, and I was still mortal at the time. My health was fading.

It wasn’t long after that, when I was nearing my death, that he approached me with a choice. I could choose to live forever, or I could die. I don’t think I was surprised when he revealed to me he was a vampire. Not after I’d seen his incredible skills with the robbers and how their bodies "disappeared" overnight. But I was surprised that there was a cure. I thought it over, wondering if I should accept his offer. It scared me to know I would never grow a day older. I’d be young forever and never again have to worry about the diseases of a mortal life. I wouldn’t have to follow a mortal’s law anymore. But could I do it? Would I actually be able to spend the rest of my days killing and drinking blood? I didn’t know what to say, but I knew that it was my only option if I wanted to live.

So I took it.

When becoming a vampire you don’t worry about the pains of other humans anymore. Mortal emotions are there to laugh at. Together my brothers and I took control of Santa Carla. It was ours. No one dared to interfere with our plans. If they did, well, their pictures would end up on missing signs outside the boardwalk and on milk cartons.

Ever since the new boys were added to my group, I decided to spend my time with them. They’re not that bad, at times I wanted to strangle them and leave them in the sunlight, but I don’t think I could live without them. I wasn't lonely anymore.

I think it was because of the loneliness that Max let them in. He wanted me to have fun and have friends. I don’t think he realized that we’d go that wild on him. At times I wonder if we should tone it down a bit, just for him, but then we go out and start to have fun and all those thoughts leave me.

Max does care for us. And though we’d never admit it, we feel the same way. He’s our leader and our father. We’re just not ones to openly display affection.

Max must feel lonely too, that’s why he wants a queen, someone to love and act as our mother. As if we need one. He must think we’re too wild and wants someone to keep a tighter hold on us. He must be an idiot if he thinks we’re going to submit to the whims of some woman. I won’t do it, and the others aren’t too thrilled about the idea either. But I do want Max to be happy.

The day he met that so-called woman Greta he fell for her like a vampire on his victim. He had been with her for several weeks before finally breaking the news to us. That being after we came into the store and saw him sweet-talking her. That night when he went home we surrounded him on our bikes and hounded him for answers. He openly admitted that he felt something for her. The other boys started laughing until I gave them the word to hush.

The following week I kept a close eye on that Greta. There was something about her I didn’t like. It was the way she looked at him with those beady eyes. There was something going on behind those eyes that I didn’t trust. She was planning something. If only I could have found a way to look into her thoughts and read her true intentions. At the time she didn’t know of Max’s immortality. She must’ve wanted his money. Those slutty eyes were a dead giveaway the moment I met her. Each time she laughed those eyes lit up with a false sense of cheer. I wanted to stab her eyes out right there in front of her and Max and expose her for the fraud she was.

When I spoke to Max about these feelings I had he dismissed them as my way of trying to break them up. He had the gall to tell me that I only wanted things to remain the same and would try to ruin any chance he ever had at finding a queen. When I renounced these accusations he came at me again with words such as liar and ingrate. I became cold at those statements and left. But I did not part from him until I gave him one last warning to watch out for her.

Max tried to set up a meeting between us and Greta at which I refused to go no matter how he tried to persuade or threaten me. I insisted the other boys follow my lead to which they obeyed. Max was not pleased with us, in fact he showed true disappointment in his face for the next month. Everytime we walked into the store, instead of kicking us out, he would not look at us. It stung, but I knew I was a correct judge of her character. I just had to find a way for Max to see it too. But he was so wrapped up in his own blissful emotions at finally finding a soulmate that he didn’t even stop to think that she could possibly have faults.

Then one night the moment finally arrived. I saw her walking into another man’s hotel room. I waited outside the hotel until she left with some raggedy man hanging on her shoulder. I still didn’t have proof that would convince Max. I told my brothers who all shared the same fury as myself. The next night we were out walking on the beach when I spotted that slut rolling on the sand in that man’s arms. By now Max had turned her and their wedding was only a ways a way. And this is the way she repaid him for all that he did for her.

My brothers all shared the same thought as me. We rushed to the store to tell Max the truth. He wouldn’t look at us until we got in his face and forced him to listen.

“You’re not supposed to be in here, David,” Max said without looking at me.

I sighed and leaned in to whisper. “Max, you have to come with us right now.”

“What?” he asked stepping back.

“You need to come with us to the beach now. It’s important that you see this.”

I don’t know what his thoughts were. He probably figured it was some kind of trickery on our part, but I knew he wouldn’t believe me unless he saw her with his own eyes.

We basically dragged Max down to the beach and hid him behind the pier.

“What’s this about?” he asked.

I pointed to the woman he was intended on marrying in just a few days. At first he must've thought she was using her body to distract her prey. But as time rolled on he finally could see the truth that he hid from himself for so long. His eyes couldn’t bear the sight. She had her mouth and hands all over this strange mortal. I don’t know how bad Max had been hurt, but the pain in his eyes was obvious.

Max broke away from us and stormed over to Greta. I couldn’t help but smirk when I thought of how he was going to rip the two of them to shreds. At least that’s what I would’ve done. Instead Max kept his vampiric form hidden. They exchanged a couple of shouts and Max told her straight up that he wasn’t going to have anymore and broke off their engagement.

It was finished.

“Max, give me another chance!” cried the whore.

Max trembled. My anger intensified as I thought of him giving into that woman’s demands. She had already manipulated him enough, he’d be a fool if he took her back. The man I consider my father looked back at me for advice. He must’ve just realized that I’d been right all along. I closed my eyes and shook my head. Max turned back to her and told her just what I had thought all along. He left her sobbing on the beach.

Max walked back towards us and stopped when he reached us. Though I was glad he broke it off with her, I still felt angry. I wanted to shred that girl.

“Just give the word,” I whispered when I noticed Max was standing there with mixed feelings. I know he was hurt and embarrassed to say the least. The fact was, for some unknown reason, it hurt us as well. All he had to do was tell us what he wanted done and we would take pleasure in making her last moments on earth full of pain.

Max never gave us an answer. I took that as a reply that we should do whatever we wanted. He headed back for the store.

“Alright, boys,” I said to the others. “Looks like it’s in our hands now.”

The next night we waited until Greta left her house. No doubt she was headed back to the store to beg Max for forgiveness. In fact she probably rehearsed her lies a million times in front of the mirror, regardless she wouldn’t have been able to see her on reflection. But the liar probably already knew how to put on a fake apologetic face. It’s what I hated most about her.

She never heard us coming. The four of us waited until she reached a desolate location out by the forest. Paul couldn’t keep from snickering and that caught Greta’s attention. She looked around, switching into her vampire form. Obviously Max didn’t tell her when she should use that form, but it didn’t matter. If that’s how she wanted to die, it was alright with us.

Suddenly we pounced and began to claw at her, letting every ounce of blood fall. I took my time, enjoying every scream. I saw her eyes pleading for mercy. I hated those eyes from the first time I saw them. At that moment I had to make sure I’d never see those eyes again.

She was quickly disposed of then the four of us made our way back to the cave to change our clothes before heading out for our bit of fun. We saw the headlights and turned to meet Max’s car. He stared at us, horrified at the state of vampire blood sticking to our garments. He parked over by the street and called our names.

He stared at me. “What did you do?”

“She won’t hurt you again,” I said. “I give you my word.”

I then nodded for the others to follow me. They did not hesitate to obey my orders. Max could’ve asked for more, but I’m sure he got the picture. None of us, including Max, ever mentioned Greta’s name again.

It was a long time afterwards that Max felt he found someone else that could be his true love. I was skeptic at first, after dealing with that slut Greta, I didn’t want to know what he found this time. Then one night I saw her outside the store. It was the very same woman I saw Max talking to just a few nights before. From what I saw she didn’t seem too bad. She was an older woman, had a nice smile, and seemed to love kids. She looked like Max’s type. Still, I wanted to be sure that this woman could be trusted so the guys and I decided to have a little fun.

One evening when Lucy, as Max called her, was getting off work we played a harmless prank on her by riding circles around her. She smiled at us at first. But when we got closer and shouted, showing no signs of leaving, she began to get nervous. It was fun to watch her shiver. We were too wrapped up in our game that we didn’t see Max show up. I noticed him step out of his car so I gave the signal for us to part. From what I observed upon leaving, she seemed relieved to be by Max’s side. Her eyes appeared warm and delightful, so I suppose she wasn’t too bad.

Max, however, was not pleased with us that night. He called me over and warned us never to harass Lucy again. I complied to his orders, assuring him it was just for sport, but I don’t think he believed me. When I asked him what was so special about her he told me he had fallen for her. I reminded him that they only recently met, but he was already too deep in love with her. I warned him not to move too fast with her. He chose not to listen to me. Perhaps he forgot what happened last time he ignored my premonitions, but I hoped the results would be in his favor this time.

He then assigned me the task of turning Lucy’s eldest son, Michael, into one of us. I took pleasure in doing so. It had been a while since we had a new friend, so I thought it could be fun to bring a new guy into the group. The other boys were just as excited. So was my girlfriend, Star. I put her up to the challenge of seducing him. He fell into our trap and met up with us. We had a race in which almost resulted in his death. I laughed. I couldn't help it, mortals are hilarious. It was obvious Michael was not happy with my little trick and punched me in the face. It didn’t hurt, but it still amused me that mortals have some fight in them. After spending some time with Michael I came to like him. Paul did too. Marco was indifferent to the matter. I don’t think Dwayne was too fond of him, in fact I actually heard him speak to Marco about it, saying he didn’t trust something about Michael. I don’t know what to think about that, Dwayne’s usually spot on with his gut feelings, almost as accurate as myself. Still, I decided to give Michael a chance.

In fact we were on our way to meet him when it happened. I knew it was just a matter of time before the changes affected him and he came to us for answers. Michael’s a bit of a wuss now, but in time he’ll be as strong as us.

We had just finished feeding and stood on the second-level balcony above the beach watching the nightly entertainment. Several drunks held a bonfire on the beach with their heavy metal blasting from the speakers and danced around like mortal idiots often do. With it being a Tuesday night the boardwalk set off fireworks for the crowd to watch. The other boys loved the fireworks for unexplained reasons. I suppose it was something they barely remembered from their days as humans. It didn’t matter much to me, but the lights were sometimes pretty. Whenever Star was with us she would cuddle up against me and tell me repeatedly how gorgeous they were. Star still is a mortal, so mortal beauty standards still mean something to her. But Star chose to stay in that night for the complaints that she felt sick. It’s because she needed blood, but won’t make her first kill. Since she still has her human side it’s difficult for her to break through. All she needs to do is take that first bite and it’ll all be over.

The fireworks made the perfect distraction. Half the people around were drunk, so no one noticed when the youngest of my band screamed out for help in the midst of an explosion of blue. I just happened to glance back in between the next set of lights to find one of my group missing.

“Where’s Marco?” I asked the other two.

“David! Help me!” I heard my brother’s voice scream.

I jumped up and leaned over the balcony where I witnessed two men cornering him. They must’ve grabbed him and threw him to the ground when we were not looking. Marco’s right arm appeared to be damaged.

The older of the two seemed to be in his mid-thirties while the younger one had to be at least twenty-eight. They both wore jeans and leather jackets, one clenching a sharpened stake. The older one grabbed Marco and twisted his arms behind his back, thrusting his chest forward. The younger one readied the stake above my brother’s heart. I suppose they witnessed us feeding and had to deal with the vampire problem. Marco screamed out again for someone to rescue him, telling the two that they had the wrong guy.

“Maybe he’s telling the truth,” the younger slayer spoke.

“I am telling the truth!” Marco cried. “Please, let me go. You’re crazy!”

“Kill him now!” the older one commanded.

I jumped down, slinging sand in the eyes of the man with the stake. I turned around and kicked the one who held Marco captive in the shins. He dropped Marco in time for me to kick him in the chin. Dwayne grabbed the smaller of the two by the hair and slung him up against the balcony, making it shake. Everyone standing up there began to scream.

Paul cradled Marco in his arms, massaging his sore arm. Before any of us could make a move, the more experienced of the two shot a stake from a cross bow, pinning Paul’s arm to the ground, another one immobilizing his leg. The younger one pulled something from his jacket, a vile of some kind. No doubt it contained holy water. He readied to throw it on my two youngest brothers. I rushed and tackled him to the ground while Dwayne busied himself with the other. I knew I should’ve been the one to go after the stronger one. However that thought didn’t cross my mind until I heard Dwayne yell out in pain. I turned around to find Dwayne holding his chest. I didn’t have time to find out the cause of his pains because the slayer stood over Paul, the stake above his chest.

Marco managed to kick the slayer in the knee. The stake slammed down into Marco’s face. I hurried and bashed the slayer in the nose. I was able to remove the stakes from Marco and Paul, both of them groaning when Dwayne and I pulled them up. Luckily the mortals on the balcony were too wrapped up in the excitement in the sky to have witnessed any of our battle.

I realized the slayers were getting up as well.

“We have to get the two of them to safety,” I whispered to Dwayne.

“How?” he asked.

I thought for a minute realizing they needed rest, the cave being the place for that to happen.

“Let’s go to the cave,” I spoke.

I had hold of Paul and Dwayne had Marco. We hurried away from the beach, putting our injured brothers in front of us on our bikes and riding off. Suddenly a thought hit me as I saw the two of them following after us at full speed in my rear-view mirror. I turned a sharp corner, Dwayne following after me.

“What’re you doing?” he asked when I stopped.

I was trying to keep my brain thinking rational thoughts at this point.

“We can’t go to the cave, they’ll find us,” I cried. “And they’ll attack us in our sleep.”

Dwayne’s eyes fell down to his youngest brother. Marco clenched on tightly to his jacket, moaning and inhaling deeply.

“What do you think?” Dwayne asked.

“Max,” I whispered. “If there’s anyone who can help it’s him.”

“You think he’ll help us?”

“He has to.” I surveyed the critical condition of my brothers. “We can’t do it ourselves.”

The slayers spotted us. We dashed as far away as our motorcycles would take us. I kept my eyes on the road in front of me. Max’s store was not far away. I darted around the back and leapt up, picking Paul up and throwing him over my shoulder. Dwayne followed my lead and carried Marco off to the corner. There was a band of bushes over by the exit door of Max’s shop, a barrel of fire over to the right.

When the boys were safe Dwayne and I hid our bikes underneath the bushes’ cover.

“Stay here with them,” I instructed Dwayne. “I’ll get advice from Max.”

He nodded and kept a tight grip around the two’s shoulders.

I checked to make sure the coast was clear and rushed around to the front. I bumped into some punk on the street who swore at me for not apologizing. Stupid mortals and their pride. If I wasn’t in such a hurry I’d have done away with him on the spot.

I ran into the front door. Diana and Lucy, Max’s interest, were the only two up front. The motherly woman looked up at me with a smile. I ran over to her and her smile left when she got a good look at my face. I hoped that my true eyes were still hidden behind my human mask.

“Is Max here?” I asked short of breath. “I need to talk to him.”

She didn’t reply at first. I suppose she thought there was something she could do to help me. After all that’s what she’s good at, helping kids. She probably thinks of me as a kid, just like she does of her little Michael.

“Are you okay?” she asked me with a concerned expression on her face. “Can I get you anything?”

Of all the stupid questions. Did she not see me come into the store with haste. Obviously there’s an emergency here. This cannot be the woman Max is serious about. But she is, this is what he wants. He yearns for an idiot with her sweet smile and her “let me help you” persona. Max wants to find us a mother. We don’t need a mother, we need someone who can deal with the threat of these slayers.

“Yes!” I shouted. What a stupid mortal. “I need to talk to Max! Did you not just hear me, moron?”

“David!” barked the voice of my father. I looked up at the angry face of the man who gave me my life and could easily take it away if he wanted. He gave that woman his most sincere apologetic face. I cringed at the thought that he was seriously considering this human’s feelings. What vampire would seriously care of the well-being of some mortal woman? Even if she is the one he wishes for. “I’m sorry, Lucy,” he spoke sweetly to her. His face returned to anger as he glared at me. “I’ve taught you better manners than that. Now apologize.”

What? He thinks that I’m going to apologize to a human? Not on my life. His glare pressed harder. He was not going to listen to what I had to say until I fulfilled his demands. I sighed. It’s for my brothers. I quickly apologized to the mortal then returned my attention to Max.

“I’ve told you about coming in here,” Max warned.

“But this is important!” I interjected. I had to interrupt for the sake of Marco and Paul. I couldn’t let them die because Max wouldn’t hear the situation.

Max looked to Lucy then back at me, then back to his love interest.

“Excuse me, Lucy,” he said then put his hand on my shoulder as he pulled me away from her and Diana’s prying ears.

The two of them began to whisper about us. It took what strength I had left to keep from biting their heads off. It was the removal of Max's hand on my shoulder that brought my eyes back to his worried face.

“What happened?” he asked with concern in his voice.

“Max, please, you gotta’ help us,” I pleaded. I didn’t know how to tell him that two of his children were about to die right outside his store. Just like I almost died outside once. But not at the hands of a trained murderer.

“David,” he interrupted.

“You know I wouldn’t bother you if I didn’t need it,” I said. I had to clear the air. I didn’t want him to think we were weak, ‘cause we’re not. We don’t usually need his help. But this time it was different. They caught us off guard and wounded two of us. Without the entire pack the rest of us lose strength. I can’t fight if my mind is worried about my other brothers. Even Dwayne got a minor injury during that last fight. They are much stronger than anyone we ever had to face before. These two were trained to brutally take down every vampire they came across. And they wouldn't let up until we were dead. There’s no way we could do this on our own. That’s the truth. We need Max.

“David, slow down,” Max demanded.

“Max, they’re gonna kill us,” I replied.

“Who?”

I didn’t hear his question. My mind was still fixed on Marco and Paul. “They seriously injured Marco and Paul. They came this close to killing them.” I pinched my thumb and index finger together to show just how close they were to actually dying. It was by pure luck that Marco was able to fend them off for Paul’s sake. “I tried to keep them from…but they were too fast.”

I couldn’t take my own weakness anymore. They almost died and there was nothing I could do about it. There was no way I’d be able to forgive myself if they did die. I should’ve been more aware when they captured Marco. I’m the one who was supposed to be watching out for the younger ones. And I failed them.

“Marco and Paul, where are they?” Max asked quickly. “Are they okay?”

“Dwayne’s looking out for them,” I explained. I just didn’t tell him where they were. “These guys are quick and have top-notch vampire-killing weapons.”

Max’s nose and forehead wrinkled. “Are you talking about those two vampire-hunting children?”

I rolled my eyes as I pictured those stupid Frog brothers. They were nothing. In fact if it were not for mere amusement of what they would try we would’ve done away with them long ago. But it would be just wrong to go after them. They have no real experience and we’d be doing a dishonor to ourselves and our entire species to dispose of the silliest threat to ever come against vampires.

“No, these are men,” I replied. He had to know the truth of how strong these slayers were. “Men trained to kill vampires, sent here to do that job.” I paused and thought again about the suffering the others were going through at that very moment. “And almost succeeded.”

“And you all escaped?” Max asked. “Alive?”

He was worried for sure and had every reason to be. The rumor of vampires in Santa Carla must have traveled far to send those two to deal with us.

“Barely,” I replied remembering again just how close they came to destroying Paul. I looked Max directly in the eyes. “Max, there’s no way Dwayne and I can take them on by ourselves." They must have known that and planned to destroy us one at a time. That's probably why they went after Marco first, to test out the weakest. If I didn't notice Marco was gone, we'd probably all be dead right now. "We grabbed the other two and took off, but they chased us. We couldn’t go back to the cave, they’d follow us.”

I couldn’t put them in worse danger.

“They followed you?” Max asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

As I looked up I saw Max’s hand approaching me. His palm slapped me in the face. My eyes widened as my hand reached up to touch where he struck me. It didn’t hurt, but I had to see if it really happened. Max never hit me before and I never believed he would have without reason.

“So you came here?” Max shouted.

I gasped as I realized what I did. I can’t believe I was that stupid to lead the slayers straight to our leader. It had to have been their plan along. I received a sickening feeling in my stomach as the thought of the slayers discovering my brothers’ whereabouts right outside the store. There’s no way they can fight them off right now. Even with Dwayne at his peak he can't take on the both of them. Marco and Paul are doomed if there is a fight.

“David, I’m sorry,” Max blurted. “I didn’t mean to hit you.”

“What are we going to do?” I asked suddenly. Max had no need to apologize. I was the one who was stupid enough to bring them here. Besides my only thought was on the well-being of my brothers. Never before had I ever felt so strongly about someone other than myself. Perhaps I’m not as selfish and cold as even I believed myself to be for so long.

Max reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys. They were spare keys to his house. He pulled one off the ring and handed it to me.

“I want you boys to go home,” Max said handing me the key. “Not to the cave, to my house.” I was shocked. Ever since we took an interest in destructive behavior, Max never allowed us entrance into his house. I suppose he truly does care for us. “You four are to stay in there until tomorrow night.”

I nodded and understood. As long as I had the key Thorn would not attack us, but he would attack anyone else who dared try to enter Max’s home. I only hoped we could get there before the slayers found us. We were lucky the first time, but in our current condition we would lose for sure. I headed for the door.

“David!” Max called. I turned around to look at him, hoping he didn’t change his mind. “Don’t make any noise. And don’t touch anything when you get there.”

I nodded. None of us would dare disrespect Max tonight, not after what he did for us. I took one last look at Lucy. She had an expression of worry on her face. Perhaps she isn’t as bad as I thought she was. She seemed truly concerned about four boys that she didn’t know. Maybe I was too quick to judge her. If this is truly what will make Max happy, then I will not interfere.

I left in the opposite direction that I entered in hopes to avoid the men after us. I rushed over to the bushes to find Dwayne still holding on tight to the others. I asked him if anything happened and he replied by shaking his head. I heard faint male voices and ran over to the edge of the building to get a better listen. The two slayers were holding a conversation with the punk I ran into.

"You sure you saw him go in there?" the older one asked.

The punk nodded. "With my own eyes. Watch out for him."

"We will," the older slayer spoke beckoning for the younger one to follow him.

That boy will be tomorrow night's meal for sure.

As soon as I saw them enter the store I took that as the opportunity to get me and the boys out of there. I'm pretty sure Max can fend them off on his own. He's quicker and more clever than the four of us combined. Dwayne and I hopped on our bikes and fled from the town.

As we approached Max's house I jumped down to unlock the gate. Paul was already feeling better and assured me he could walk to the house on his own. Marco, however, still felt weak. He needed blood as soon as possible. Luckily I knew where Max kept the emergency bottle stashed. He instructed me not to touch anything, but in a time of emergency he would override the rule.

Thorn ran up to us and growled. I growled back and told him to back off. He must have understood the emergency and let us pass. I unlocked the door and let the other three go in front of me. Dwayne carried Marco inside and gently sat him down on the floor. Paul limped by me, grasping onto the doorframe for a few seconds before following in after the others. His leg should be back to normal by morning. I rushed off to the kitchen and opened the last cabinet near the wall. I pushed away the props used to make his home appear more human and grabbed the pewter bottle behind the spices. I returned to the boys and gave them each a few sips, making sure Marco got the most. Dwayne patted Marco on the shoulder when he finished drinking. There were eight more I counted, so if we needed more later on it wouldn't be a problem.

"How's your chest?" I asked Dwayne seeing the bit of blood on his shirt.

"Better," Dwayne replied not looking at me.

"Were you staked or...?"

"It was nothing," he said waving his hand. "I can handle it."

I nodded assuming that it already healed by now.

"Do you think we'll see them again?" Paul asked in a tone I rarely ever heard from him.

I looked over at the boy to find him staring down at his feet.

"No," I replied. "Max got rid of them."

I smiled as I thought to myself of how Max would torture them for what they tried to do to us. If there was one thing he made clear it was that he wanted no one messing with his family. It's a trait we all shared.

"We owe him alot," Paul said raising his face.

I nodded. Max always came through for us when we needed it. It's the real reason we respect him and part of why I kept his identity a secret from everyone, including Michael and even Star. I knew I couldn't trust her with that news, she'd blab it to someone. I somewhat don't trust that she's entirely faithful to me either. I saw the way she looked at Michael. It's only a matter of time before he's in her bed. I don't really care too much for her anymore, but I feel I still have to look out for her.

I looked over at the other boys. Marco had already fallen asleep and Paul was on his way. Dwayne was in heavy thought at the moment and those thoughts would eventually lead him to sleep. I decided to lay flat on the floor and stare up at the ceiling. Thorn came over and laid down beside me. He actually let me pet his fur, something I never thought that dog would let anyone other than Max do. I had to keep awake until Max returned. I couldn't fall asleep, someone had to keep a lookout.

I dozed off sometime within the four hours, awakening at the sudden movement of the dog. I looked up to find Max walking in. He smiled at me and asked with his eyes how the others were feeling. I assured him with a nod that they were doing better. He smiled again and moved on to his bedroom.

"Hey, Max," I whispered.

He turned to me.

"Are they dead?"

He gave me a creepy smile, myself giving one in return. He then returned to his quest for bed as the signs of fatigue were obvious on his face. The sun would be rising before long; luckily this house doesn't allow in sunlight. Max protected us tonight, but it's what we do in this family.

I laughed at myself. Family. It may be the most ridiculous family according to mortal views, but it's what we have. And I don't think I mind them anymore, not one bit.

Well that's it for David's point-of-view. I tried to grasp his intelligent/sarcastic character in this chapter. Let me know what you think. Also, tell me if you want the next chapter to be in Marco or Paul's perspective. I think I'm going to try out both and whichever one I feel works better is the one that will be posted.

Until then! Hope you enjoyed the story!